Because I love these two. But when Andy Reid gave Chad Hall a draw carry instead of McCoy/Brown/Lewis I was on board for a change. That was the breaking point after 13 years of Reid. Chad Hall. Not to mention the 4th and inches. I'm just done with Reid. But man I love these line coaches...

I get the feeling still that Reid gets one more year. But there should be conditions... a new OC coordinator who calls all the plays... someone's head has to roll for yesterday's embarassing gameplan and playcalling. New direction on offense under Mudd/New Guy with Andy promising to adjust his approach to the incoming OC's ideas. If Reid refused to throw Morninweg under the bus than I'd move on, these two both have deficiencies in common sense that makes them a lethal pair of buffoons on Sunday.

A new DC, one who will work with washburn to make a feared defense (I say we maybe go DE/DT high in the draft and take this Washburn thing to absurd levels.) Castillo seems like a humble enough guy to take a demotion to make this easier for Reid to swallow.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: Strip Reid of GM authority and fire/demote Roseman. Bring in a new GM with autonomous authority who will actually know how to draft defensive players... A good GM wouldn't have allowed Chad Hall on the roster to make that one useless carry, and maybe I wouldn't finally be on the fire Reid bandwagon.

Under these conditions, would you keep Reid?

For the first time this season we got to see some extensive action from two defensive players who should be a major part of our defense in the future. Brandon Graham looked quick, healthy, and fully confident in his surgically repaired knee. When a running back went low on a block, Graham took it in stride and continued to the qb for a pressure. When he was chasing a ballcarrier and there was a big scrum to bring him down, Graham threw his hat into the pileup without hesitancy. Overall I came away very excited with how BG looks. I loved this pick then and I love this pick now. If he gets that knee back to 100% Graham will become a defensive leader for us.

When I saw Jarrett out there on special teams early in the game I was excited and noted that finaly Jarrett was on the active roster. Little did I know he'd soon be starting for a concussed Allen. It's impossible to give a fully accurate appraisal of his performance without the game tape, but at least he looked decisive, able to tackle, and on first impression... looked to me like he belonged.

Anyone else see anything or have any observations on these two?

First , the play I can't get out of my head. Final Eagles possesion, 3rd and 8 (i think?)... Kafka see's the corner lined way off of Maclin, jumps excitedly pointing over there and calling the audible. My heart sunk. You think they just forgot about him with the night he was having?!?!? No!!! It was a trap! They baited him into it and the linebacker was all over the play. Poor call by Kafka. The audible was so clearly a quick toss to Maclin. And no I'm not just saying that because it failed, I was literally feeling sick before the play because if I read it, the defense surely did too.... ugh what a frustrating loss, any other call in that situation and maybe things go different... on the bright side, it was my only beef with Kakfa tonight, he woulda been the saviour if Maclin hangs onto that 4th down pass.

Second, I'm wondering if it's time for a shake-up in the defense. We looked really good against the pass, except to the TE, and we looked vulnerable against the run when the runner got past the first level. On that backbreaking Turner run in the 4th Q, Page just didn't have the angle, speed, or athleticism to make the play in the open field. He's a journeyman who showed tonight why we have him starting - because he is a solid tackler and plays with aggression and is a solid 'In-the-box' safety. But when it comes down to it, a more athletic player could've made that play, and what I saw on that run was a guy who couldn't have made the play if given a hundred shots from the same angle. So I'll be the first fool calling for it.... Give Jarrett a shot!!! He's a solid 'in-the-box' safety in the same mould as Page, except younger, faster, and with more upside (particularly down the road.) I'm not hating on Page, he's played admirably and I like him. But why not give Jarret his shot after seeing Page's clear limitations? We started Allen as a rookie. We threw goddam Macho Harris at safety as a rookie, I feel safe saying that Jarrett can hold his own at least at much as Harris, or Considine, or some of the other guys we've tried there...... Don't like the idea of another rookie playing on D? Then my other suggestion for a shakeup is to shake-up the LBers. Look I'm not in 'sky-is-falling-mode' but as I see it, Castillo called a fine game. Gonzalez beat us because of player performance, not Juan's gameplan. We have poor linebackers (I've come to accept it, as much as I like Chaney) and behind them we have a couple Safeties with below-average speed/athleticism. Give Brian Rolle a chance? Clayton? I know the Falcons are a very good offense, so I'm not freaking, but the holes on defense I saw today aren't the result of anything that can be fixed with practice or scheming. They are the result of below average players trying to cover a hall-of-fame TE and tackle a top 5 RB. Just one more really good player on this defense (which I think all three of Jarrett, Rolle, and Clayton have the potential to be) and things could have been so much different.

Other random thoughts:

It's interesting to see us running the ball differently this year, utilizing stretches and other runs brought over with Howard Mudd. I think our running game has looked fantastic so far this year (much credit to the incomparable "Shady" McCoy) .... may favourite run of the night was the fake pitch to McCoy and then sneak the ball to Ronnie Brown who was lined up as a TE. Nifty play that worked because of the threat McCoy poses. Great play call and design

On the final ATL TD run (where Chaney couldn't make the stop) did you see Asante just avoid the contact and let it happen? Acting like he had to leap over Chaney instead of hitting Turner. Soft stuff. I'm over it, and I love Samuel, just letting ya know what I saw. It came as no surprise to me, as I'm sure it wasn't to anyone who has watched his Eagles career.

Can you believe they kicked it to Desean at the end?! I allowed myself to believe 'IT' was going to happen again for just that split second when he went forward.

Reid failed to challenge the Vick INT that would've been overturned, and then on Asante's pick the Falcons had their red hanky out within 10 seconds of the whistle. Why is it so much easier for them? Did you see the stats about Reid and challenges? Fewest in the league during his tenure? You think we'd show at least some progression there! For all the kudos given out to our intelligent FO, there isn't one person smart enough to affect some sort of change in our philosophy on challenges? Let any goddam person but Reid decide when to challenge or not!! Anyone!!! What does this jon Dorenbos cat do beside long-snap? Let him be in charge of the red flag! Anything! Anything!!!! 

I don't care what happens the rest of the year, I'm in love with the Wide-9, I am an ardent supporter from here-on-out, and I hope it remains our defensive system moving forward in future years. And not just because Trent Cole was a monster tonight.

Remember last year when Asante would get injured and our secondary would be horrendous? When he left today with a broken finger, rodgers-cromartie looked just fine taking over at RCB. Alot of positives to take away from this close loss. I believe if Vick doesn't get hurt we go on to win. I believe if Maclin grabs that 4th down slant, we go on to score. I believe this team can do great things this year, tough loss but writing about it was very therapeutic! I'd love your thoughts BGN!

Edit** Forgot to throw out my appreciation of the team of Collinsworth and Michaels, they're way better than the Monday Night crew and alot of other hacks in the booth. My favourite? Michaels sees the shot of Vick being tested on the sideline: "he looks like a boxer in the corner!" it was just a quick off-the-cuff remark, but it was exactly what it looked like! He was looking punch-drunk!

Hey guys, some of you might not know me, I was pretty active here for a while but then my laptop died and I didn't have a comp for the entirety of the regular season. I still checked out the site whenever I got access to a comp. Anyways...

For my first post I was going to make one called "The All-In Offseason" where I was basically going to say that the rebuild is done, it's time to pull out all the stops in the offseason to take this young team over the hump. Kind of like the Jets did last offseason. This meant trading Kolb, Bringing in some top FA's, and making sure we had an impactful draft. My premise was that with Vick we have a short window here to make a real run at this thing, and its time to stop leaving weaknesses on the field like we did in past years (over the years: no RCB, no FB, no returner, no WR's, etc.) However I realized that this offseason is screwed, the CBA negotiations pretty much discouraged me from writing that post. So instead I've been focusing on the draft, scouting defensive players since I don't watch much college football.... so instead my first post back is going to be about something that will actually happen this offseason, bringing in some more young building blocks.

My first year really getting into the draft was a few years ago when all of us eagles fans were obsessed with getting a WR. I became obsessed with this little quickster named Desean Jackson. I mean, even Jerry Rice was talking him up! Anyone who would listen to me had to hear about how this kid was hall-of-fame bound. So watching him plummet to us, us trading down and picking Laws ahead of him, then getting my boy in the end pretty much turned me into a draft nut. The next year it was this highly underrated RB named McCoy, who I wanted to take in the first round. Another fun year for me. Then last year I focused on defense, I loved the Safety class in general, but there was one pass rusher who stood out and I loved... Graham. I thought we gave up way too much to go get Earl Thomas, and I was pretty inconsolable when it appeared he was our pick. I was so happy to get Graham. Three straight years, three straight drafts that left me feeling giddy.

This year, I've already picked my personal gem... Robert Quinn (beast DE) Reasons: 1) He will fall in this draft for missing last year. Why you ask? Injury? Head-case? Nope, dealings with an agent... forgivable and not a hindrance to his NFL abilities. 2) Graham is not going to be any good next year. He relies on quickness and burst, he tore his ACL late in the year, use him sparingly and don't count on him. We need to get after the passer, I'm so sick of watching QB's with all day back there. 3) Before his suspension, he was considered a sure-fire top pick, likely top 5, definitely top 10. He could fall out of the top 10.

2 DE's in the first round in consecutive years? Consider this: How much longer is T-Cole going to be able to sustain his style of play? 3 years? 4 years? Who knows, but it will be better for him if we reduce his snaps a little. What if Graham recovers for the following season, won't 3 top DE's be too many? Hell NO! Rotate them, slide Quinn in to DT on passing situation, use one of em as a joker or LB in certain packages... its a good problem to have.

So here's what made me write this fanpost... I don't watch college football, I'm Canadian (nor do I watch the CFL, I'm Canadian.) Some of you do, and even if you don't, I'd like the input from the BGN boys on this draft.... and here's how:

The Eagles have the following pick in the first round, by trading up or down... who do you take of the guys who can realistically be there:

Pick #4

Pick #10

pick#18

pick#24

pick#32

Also your thoughts on the guys you chose, what you think of Quinn, and any other knowledge you can drop would be a good read for the ol' RBE.

Thanks in advance

and here's mine

#4) Patrick Peterson

#10) Quinn

#18) Akeem Ayers (LB)

#24) Brandon Harris (CB)

#32) Jimmy Smith (CB)

http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2010/6/23/1532760/final-53-man-roster-discussion#comments

Well cuts are coming soon and I want to nail down some predictions.

Where I was wrong:

-I trusted the BGN hype machine when they told me Scott was a stone-cold lock to beat out Buckley. Buckley is a good special teamer and should make the roster over Scott. Scott will go to Practice Squad for sure if he's not on the 53

-SKANK BASKETT I gave him a roster spot not because I think he's good, but because I didn't see Andy cutting him (even though arguably the best QB ever never used him). I see no reason Hallor Washington shouldn't surpass him (we didnt have Kelly when I made the post)

- Ingram - I predicted he would take time to heal, but thought he could show enough to stick around and be inactive on game day until he could go full steam. I feel we rushed him and now he's probably on IR (he still has one more shot at this thing next year IMO)

- Queen Dunlap - Hopefully loses his spot to this UFA kid... I've seen enough of the Queen thanks.

- Moise Fokou - Whoops, ... if we cut him I won't bat an eye. He should still make team as backup SAM.

- Jaqua Parker - He's a lock and I had him cut. Can you blame me? He's over 30!

Where I was DEAD-ON:

Graham - I never really had any doubt. Monster pass rusher/overall player from Week one, you'll see.

Laws - "added 20 pounds in the offseason and is coming in to save his career"

Sapp - "Joker position and pure speed rusher. He'll never be a 4-3 linebacker"

I made another fanpost (over/underrated eagles) where I ripped Joselio Hanson, yet I didn't see how we could cut him this year. Then here comes Dmitri Patterson - looks like he's beat out Hanson, so I see little reason to keep the overpaid/overrated "rather have sean considine than him" hanson.

LB/Dline is the most interesting battle left IMO, at least in terms of who makes it / gets cut. In terms of depth chart battles, Nickelback should be a battle to watch the next 2 games.

Thoughts?

With 13 draft picks and a slew of undrafted rookies and open roster positions, this is one of the most unpredictable final rosters in recent memory.

I'll give you my best guess.

LS: Doronbos     -      Lets get this bugger out of the way. Good long snap there Jon, you're the best.

QB: Starter:Kolb    -   appears to be a prototype west-coast thrower. The things he has yet to show : Pocket Awareness - We've seen him wisely throw it away, which is a good sign, but does he have that 6th sense for when a rusher is coming and that innate ability to avoid sacks. In college this is what excited me most about Kolb, he appeared to have good pocket awareness.           Deep Ball: Maclin and Desean have the speed to get real deep, and I have yet to see Kolb connect with either on a true bomb yet. He's made some pretty long range throws, but he's never hit the big time deep ball and until he does I consider it my biggest fear in the world.

Backup: Vick   -   He's got to be in way better shape this time around for training camp compared to last year. I'm not opposed to busting out the wildcat some more this year; at least it usually meant a much needed running play.

Emergency QB: Kafka   -   pretty athletic guy, good project, chance to be our backup next year.

RB: Starter:Shady   -    Elite player in college had a productive rookie year while admitting that the long season took a toll. Spent the entire offseason in a formal strength and conditioning program with the Eagles s/c coach. I predict him to be a huge player for us this year. Please tuck that ball away son.

Backup:Bell  -   His experience and apparently strong showing in the passing game during OTAs make him a pretty nice back-up to McCoy.

3rd string: Scott   -   Never seen him play, liked his highlights and what I've heard.

WR: Three Starters: Desean/Maclin/Avant    -     A potentially amazing west coast trio.

Backups: Riley Cooper and Hank Baskett   -   Hopefully we don't see much of these guys, as we have much better playmakers ahead of them. I almost put Chad Hall but I have an unshakeable feeling that Andy keeps the veteran Baskett. Chad Hall goes to practice squad.

TE: Starter: Brent Celek   -   I loved his college tape when we drafted him and thought he would make a great #2 for the rest of his career. He was too slow I thought, but ran like a man possessed with the ball. He's not too slow. His weakness: Run blocking   -    I think he'll get there someday.

Backup:Ingram - Impressive athlete who's been through a tough time, he will persevere but it may take more time for him to heal.

3rd String: Harbor    -    Has to make the final roster. He could see playing time in certain packages, especially if Ingram isn't all the way back from his injuries. I see him as an H-Back/TE type, and JasonB says everyone loved him at the draft.

FB : Fullback:The Weave   -   we were right, it was a great signing and a perfect fit. Roseman made this one happen.

O-Line: LT : Peters backed up up by Queen Dunlap (Herremans is the real backup plan.)  -  Dunlap is only depth, Peters is all important to this o-line.

LG: Herremans backup up by McGlynn   -    I focused a ton on O-line last year while watching, and came away with a new found respect for Herremans.

C: Cole   -    he will be alright, he's a vet.

RG:Stacy Andrews backed up by McGlynn again

RT: Justice backup up by Topou     -      Justice is a poor run blocker but a good pass blocker.

PUP - Jamaal Jackson comes back mid-season or later and adds depth

Offense Recap : only 24 players so far not including Jamaal Jackson. Only 8 o-linemen kept knowing that Jamaal will be around later in the year if injuries get out of control.

Defensive Line: Starters: Cole and Graham at ends -   Graham was picked 13th overall to be something, either he's that thing or he's not, but sitting him on the bench won't help in any way.

Bunk and Patt at DT  -  We don't get run over like we did in the Darwin Walker days, and these two are a big reason why.

situational guys:Tapp   -    He'll be the first guy off the bench to give graham a breather. I think Tapp will be used on running downs to give Graham a breather to be ready for the obvious pass rush situation. Keeping Cole/Graham/Tapp fresh and giving them all playing time would be wise

De'o Neisheim or something like that  -  Nickel pass rusher from DT is my guess. DE in some formations, such as a 3-4 look with Cole and graham at olb.

Laws   -    Haven't seen much from this guy besides getting pushed around, but apparently he has added 20 pounds in the offseason and is coming in to save his career

Sapp    -   Joker position and pure speed rusher. He'll never be a 4-3 linebacker.

Dixon     -     He'll be back

Injured Reserve: Abiamiri

Linebackers:     ROLB (SAM)  -  Moise Fokou    -     Aggressive and fierce, just how a SAM should play

MLB (MIKE)  -  Bradley   -     Many players said he was their defensive leader before he went down last preseason

LOLB (WILL) - Sims     -      this position should be reserved for playmakers. Sims will be that.

Backups - SAM - Jamar Chaney and Alex Hall    -   does alex hall even make the team? I'll say yes but it feels wrong

MIKE  - Gaither    -      Backup all over the place

WILL - Akeem Jordan and Keenan Clayton     -      Jordan was off to a nice start last year, Clayton is a developmental guy who will play strictly special teams if he's even active on game day.

Kicker: Akers     -     best in the division

Punter: Rocca    -     Had a game last year where every punt pinned them deep and he was a huge asset. Had many games last year where nearly every punt was a shank and he was a deterrence.

Strong Safety: Mikkel backed up by Kurt Coleman

Free Safety: Allen backed up by Quentin Demps

RCB: Ellis Hobbs    -     unfortunately mr smellis is the best we got

LCB: Asante Samuel    -     a strength

Nickelback: Macho Harris     -     I think he gets a shot at nickel

Dimeback: Joselio Hanson , Trevard Lindley   -     If Macho slips one of these guys will get a shot at nickel.

Well Ladies and Gents that's 52, and so I get a bonus player to throw out there.............................. AQ Shipley  -  Shows enough at center to earn a reserve spot.

Toughest to cut - Chad Hall    -    could be a returner and backup receiver, but he's not able to start at WR so Baskett stays instead. I hope this guy comes into training camp and makes himself indispensable, but he's been away from football.

The Slant Route

How many times have we seen Donavan sling a slant route with a ton of zip and the receiver can't handle it? Curtis dropped a bunch, Reggie, Desean, all of em. Yet we still tried to run the slant it quite a bit, but I've always felt that Reid (and Marty) wanted to call it even more often. It's a staple of the West-coast offense and can set up a ton of other plays. It was never Donavan's best throw, but from what we've seen it may be a throw that Kolb loves. As the offseason drags on I'm becoming more and more excited to see the west-coast offense back to its roots where Andy wants to be.... Although watching Donavan chuck longbombs on 40% of the throws during and after the T.O. era was fun times.

FAT WORTHLESS LUCKY GREEDY SELFISH and VIOLENT OFFENDER (CLEATS TO FACE/EYES) Albert Haynesworth

Dan Snyder just paid this guy 21M $$$ LMAO .... I really think the go-to free agent flameout debacle in the NFC East just went from T.O. to Albert the human shit-bag Haynesworth. Hey Albert, for 21$ I'll go play Nose Tackle in the 3-4 ... Hell I'll do it naked in buffalo in week 17... Shit I'll Play Kick Returner Wearing Fairy Wings    

If I didn't so much enjoy seeing Snyder learn his lesson AGAIN, this time being the absolute worst case ever.... I'd really want this oaf to suck it up and earn his Fucking contract...... Albert Haynesworth Wasn't Raised right.

Albert needs to appreciate the finer things in life.

like what?

Well you know........................slurpees and stuff

McCoy and Felix Jones

Are going to be very good this year and its going to be very exciting to see these two young guys battle it out this year in 2 head-to-head matches. McCoy is a more natural Receiver, but Jones has the deadly breakaway speed.

Graham

Will Start Week One I'll take any bet name your price.

Lets do a little hypothetical here and pretend we're all optimists (that's you too EvilBanner)...

lets say Kolb = Aaron rodgers in his first year starting.

If Kolb = Rodgers our offensive line won't have to be so great; Rodgers made due with an abysmal unit by utilizing a quick release on 3 and 5 step drops with good accuracy. Our offensive line has question marks, but it will be considerably better than the unit the packers had. The packers had playmakers at wide receiver comparable to ours (Avant = Driver /  Maclin = Jennings / Desean = fastest man in the league and incomparable).


If Kolb = Rodgers our defense will be rewarded. We will sustain drives and score points, allowing our defense to do what it does best - play fresh, fast and in obvious passing situations.

If Kolb = Rodgers we contend for a superbowl year one.... our offensive line is better, especially in the ever important screen game, and our defense is better than that packer unit was. We also have a much better backfield (McCoy >>>>> Grant)

If Kolb has a first year like Rodgers or Matt  Ryan or some of the other guys who were ready when they became starters, do you agree we are Superbowl contenders? (Poll)   Why/Why not?

First, a recently traded player.

Underrated:

Chris Clemons- JimmyK's post about special teams provided some illumination on why Clemons fell out of favour with the Eagles, he was a liability of special teams. As a situational defensive player he needed to contribute on special teams, and he did so in a negative way too often. However when he saw the field as a pass rusher, this guy had very good quickness and burst to get around tackles, and was overall a disruptive guy.

Whenever he came on the field I would point it out to my Eagles friend (I live in Canada and have only one friend who is also a true fan) and Clemons never disappointed in displaying his quick burst. During the playoff run 2 seasons ago Clemons made play after play. He had the best game of his career during the glorious Dallas debacle, followed it up by pressuring Tavaris Jackson on the play that Asante took his interception to the house, and then during the Giants game pressured Eli on another Samuel pick. I know Clemons isn't a great player, but I think he went underrated during his tenure here and Seattle got a decent player in return for Tapp.

Overrated:

Joselio Hanson- I know most people don't see him as a standout or anything, but it seems alot accept him as a quality backup and above average sub-package guy. I see him as a guy in a line of players who survived on the Eagle's roster for way too long, guys like Sean Considine, Greg Lewis, and Dhani Jones who are below average players. The guy is tiny, a poor tackler, and never seems to make plays. My aforementioned Eagles friend strongly disagrees, but I've just never understood why this guy didn't get his walking papers with Sean Considine. At least Considine was a good special teams player. 

Underrated:

Asante Samuel - He's a terrible tackler. But last year he suffered neck and shoulder injuries which were sustained while attempting to tackle, and made it much harder on him. Here's the thing I love about Asante: this guy never was or ever will be a great athlete. His body isn't meant for tackling, and he's not some speed demon. This guy earned his mark in this league through dedication and hard work. In his first year here he lead the league in batted passes if I'm not mistaken, and even if he didn't, I remember being amazed at how often he was deflecting passes. And then this past year he had the interceptions but overall a poorer year playing on a poorer defense.

When Asante was going through his tiff with the patriots I really wanted us to make a run at him. With our defense predicated on pressuring the QB, his ball-hawking ways are just what we needed on a defense that had become strangely turnover deficient. Until he got here I had no idea how good he really was, but seeing him week in week out has shown me that this guy is a brilliant corner.

By the way, does anyone remember in the preseason last year we played Jacksonville and samuel was absolutely decking everyone who came his way? He injured his neck several times last year and seemed much more tentative afterwards, but if anyone saw that game they know he isn't afraid of contact when he's healthy. Apparently he's focused on bulking up this offseason to become a better tackler, and with his record of hard work and dedication, I expect him to be more prepared for the punishment and to be a leader on the field this year, especially if the defense around him is better.

Overrated:

Hank Baskett: BGN is better than most Eagles sites when it comes to opinions on Baskett, but over the past several years I can't begin to tell you the number of people across the internet I've seen suggest that we underuse Hank and his size, that he's the big WR we've needed but we just underuse him, or that he's soon to reach his potential and be a red-zone threat. Wrong on all counts. This guy has very poor coordination for a WR (he looks awkward running or catching, his hands are suspect) and if you look at his performance in the last two playoffs, he dropped a massive ball in the Cardinals game 2 years ago and then failed to secure an onside kick that went right to him in the Superbowl. Fortunately everyone is saying this Riley Cooper kid can play ball, so Hank should be out on his ass like he should've been all along.

Well I've been thinking about making a post about Mornhinweg for a good while now, and I figured since he's currently a hot topic I'd cash in while the gettin's good. Basically I'm going to give you my opinion and perceptions on our offensive coordinator, and I'd appreciate your insights because there may be things I'm not seeing.

Andy Reid has weaknesses as a head coach. He's a very good GM in my opinion, and is wonderful at every aspect of Head Coaching until gameday. On gameday: He blows timeouts like they have no importance. His talent with the little red flag is poor. Our offense before the end of either half is often a shambles. He doesn't know when to go for two or when to kick the field goal or when to for it on fourth down. He is not dedicated enough to the ground game and abandons it for long stretches. During the superbowl we were trying to make a comeback and he allowed for a clock-killing drive by our own offense. etc. etc. etc. 

First let me say I hope Kolb can come in and fix pretty much all of this by being a Peyton Manning-esque field general. If he can't, then I'm going to be brash and say this: Fire or demote Marty Morningweg    

I don't think he's a bad offensive coordinator, in fact far from it. My issue is this: this guy's weaknesses as a coach are identical to those of Andy Reid. He is not a good decision maker on gameday (plenty of examples from his time in detroit or here). He is perhaps worse than Reid when it comes to abandoning the running game. Thus the decision comes down to these options: 1)live with poor gameday coaching, 2)replace a great head coach, or 3)replace our offensive coordinator with someone who is more of an anti-Reid -  someone who is great on gameday and commits to the ground game. This type of coordinator could really help Reid and therefore our team. Are there any other options you can see? Like I said if kolb is a great leader maybe he can fix most of this, and Mornhinweg can stay.

In his defense, few in the entire world know more about the west coast offense or can draw up better WCO plays. He can draw up a screen pass like few others. He's a master of play design and a fine offensive coordinator. He just sucks as a gameday coach and unfortunately so does Reid. If he could be demoted and another guy brought in to call plays and keep an eye on game situations, that would be ideal.

So my hope is that kolb can say: "hey, lets go for 2 later there's plenty of time." Or "no, we need to run it here to keep them honest." If he can than our offensive coordinator is just fine. But if Kolb is just an athlete-quarterback like McNabb (no offense) who lets the coaches make all the calls, then between Reid and Marty we have some poor in-game decision makers who have hurt us in the past. I really hope Kolb is that kinda guy (he seems like it), because I don't want to get rid of a good coordinator like marty to cover up for Reid. If Kolb isn't, then chances are slim we reach the promised land with these guys making all the calls on game-day.

Thoughts?

Well we made a bunch of moves in this draft, and as expected, the eagles were largely unpredictable.

1) The move --> Trading next year's 6th to move into the top of the 7th to grab Chaney

- This move indicates to me that the Eagles saw a guy sitting there that they thought was better than 7th round value and had to have him. They could have gambled and hoped he fell to the compensatory picks, but they felt he was a steal and no way a person in the 6th round of next year's less talented pool would be better. Maybe they felt they were desperate for one more linebacker before the draft ended, but I believe it was more about liking this particular guy. Do you think they are right? Anyone see this guy play and have some info?

2) The move --> Jumping ahead of the giants and Titans to snag the best Defensive End in the Draft.

- I felt sick and ashamed when the analysts were convinced the move was for Earl Thomas, I didn't like his value there and knew a blue-ship defensive end was just sitting there! Then the news broke it was Graham and I went ballistic. Two third round picks is no king's ransom, and it was the right move to get a kid of this caliber. He was dropping no further than 15, so we moved up to the perfect spot. We had the picks to spare and we got an Amazing player. Finally Abiamiri will have to actually do something to earn his roster spot, he is on the bubble and the competition might help him actually produce for us.

- I think our D-line is now a strength, and its a damned good strength to have.

What a wild first round, tons of ups and downs for me, here it is off the top of my head...

Down:

Washington plays it smart and takes the OT they need. Part of me was happy for McNabb

Down:

Berry gets picked, the dream is crushed

DOWN DOWN DOWN:

The Eagles just sold the farm for EARL THOMAS! The undersized glorified cornerback?! NOOOOOOO, ... but then what's that ?

UP UP UP:

OH my god, the best DE in the draft, team leader, Senior Bowl MVP, school records, etc.etc. amazing player, blue chip front 7 player we need.... and VERSATILE... BRANDON GRAHAM... Didn't even give up a 2nd!

UP:

HAHAHAHA Giants just took JPP, the biggest bust of the class. We probably stole Graham from them just like we did Maclin, and JPP is a project at best.

Down:

Cowboys replace Roy williams with a Dez, Damn we need a corner

Down:

Patrick Robinson is gone and with him all my favourite corners.

Overall:

Just glad we got a great player, I said before the draft Graham was the only other guy I wanted to trade up for besides Berry and maybe morgan.

thoughts?

In my opinion this is the most crucial draft of the Andy Reid era since his first when he nailed the top pick and brought Donovan in. We need to come out of this draft with some serious defensive talent if we want to contend for a superbowl in the next 3 years. This draft is deep on defense and I think this is the one year where we should break with our modus operandi and trade future picks to move up or acquire picks.

I would gladly use next year's first to move up for Brandon Graham, who is the type of relentless DE we need opposite T-Cole. I would use it to move up for a few players who will go above #24. I would use it to get another high second and take any number of defensive backs.

In my opinion we could come away with a massive defensive rejuvination if we were willing to trade next year's first, we could get 3 or 4 truly impact rookies and still have low round picks to fill depth and try to find sleepers. Next year's draft won't have so many talented defenders.

It's official.... McNabb for your 2nd rounder and a conditional 3rd or 4th next year.

Can't wait to hear your reaction, Shanahan has a legit veteran QB to work with.

Hard to believe this happened within the division. McNabb has struggled against you guys in recent years but if you watch him over 16 games he's still a plenty-good player with good athleticism and arm-strength.

You guys are now contenders for the division title in my opinion, and I'd say your first rounder should be an offensive tackle.

OK here's an article by Michael Silver that I would deem a must-read for all interested Eagle's fans.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AgkDqYVpjpNObeZElkzX8.pDubYF?slug=ms-trippintuesday033010

In it he describes Roseman as overly ambitiious and crass, trying to swindle other teams in dealings for both McNabb and Brown in true business-man fashion. Apparently he is eager to make a name for himself and is trying to swing a heavily uneven trade to glorify himself as a great GM.

First let me say that I have no idea whether this is accurate, but Silver quotes a few sources. Second let me say that this doesn't seem far-fetched as many have painted banner-lurie-roseman as a smug, arrogant leadership who are overly impressed with their own accomplishments.

The article lays the blame for our current McNabb situation on Roseman's head, mostly because he had a rediculous asking price and other teams now see him as a devout swindler.

I just thought I'd make a thread because I want to hear other people's thoughts on this article.

I see alot of people doubting that this guy will be "an every down back" or that he has "alot left to prove." The latter is of course true, but he's shown me enough already (college included) to be extremely confident in what he will do with full-time duty. Here's my prediction - 1600 total yards and 14 TDs. I'm particularly confident in his high touchdown count; he's shown a great nose for the endzone in both college and the pros. Remember the 2-point conversion play? He showed glimpses throughout the year of what he will do in his second year.

He's also been extremely durable, he got a ton of touches in college and didn't get banged up last year either. He's a bigger dude than Westbrook and he's been one of the best players on the field since he's played the game. I think Desean will still be a greater player next year, but I don't know if he will get enough touches to out-perform shady next year. Maclin could be really good next year too, but again I doubt he gets an adequate number of passes in his direction to out-perform the guy who is our primary halfback.

This kid can break tackles, block with good technique when he makes the correct read on a blitz, catch out of the backfield, and he's got great burst and balance. Did I mention he's great at finding the goal-line?


He will be aided by an offense that stretches the field with speed and occasionally draws him up plays where he will get the ball in open space. Hopefully our screen game can be a force again next year. McCoy is going to light it up.

***EDIT*** I meant team offensive MVP and I meant 1600 rushing + recieving

Alright so I'm reading the new Don banks mock. He has Berry slipping out of the top 10, which is obviously not happening. Imagine though if he or Haden slips to Buffalo at #9, IMO we have the firepower this year to move up to #9 and snatch either one of the top players at their positions, possibly giving mostly future picks/ current players since this is a strong and deep draft. This really feels like a year that Andy is going to trade up in the first for a falling player with great value.

Obviously there are other players who could fit the bill, possibly not top ten but higher than #24. The only thing that's kept me from clamoring for a Berry trade up before now is that I love this draft class and don't want to pay the hefty price of moving up to #3. But if we can keep most of our picks this year and trade a QB + future picks, we can move up where we want in the first and pick a guy. Who would you guys want should they fall?

Defense

Sheldon Brown and Asante Samuel have had one heck of a year playing corner in a league where the position is becoming rediculously hard to play with all the ticky-tack flags. Sheldon laid another perfect hit this year, probably his third huge-perfectly timed hit of the year by my estimation; this one on rather massive WR Brandon Marshall. Asante had another nice pick, and it would have been a huge play for us if the referees hadn't thrown a flag on macho for: A) laying a clean block after an interception  B) laying a clean hit on a guy as Asante was coming down with the ball. 

We have needed these guys to be this good, because our safety position is probably now worse than our lb position. I say this because Tracy White, the Spoon, Trotter, and akeem all played very well against the broncos. They all made nice tackles in the open field and played good coverage. Over the last handful of games I would probably name Quentin Mikell as the most dissapointing veteran player starting on the team. He has looked bad on some plays and is missing tackles. It wouldn't be so bad if Sean Jones hadn't looked much worse on some plays and whiffed on hits, as well as looking slow and taking poor angles to ballcarriers. I didn't see him get much time against the broncos, and I felt it was deserved.

I think our defense played a pretty good game. I was excited to see all our linebackers looking good, especially Akeem and Witherspoon, and including Moise Fokou. I already like Fokou more than Gocong, who I disliked from his first snap (so slow). The defense was put in some tough positions and they came through with clutch plays in the 4th. I am very excited about what this group can do in the post-season. A defense that creates alot of turnovers can be huge in the post-season and our offense can take advantage.

Jaqua Parkar has looked good against some pretty weak lineman the last two weeks, he had a nice game. But he really seems to disappear in big games, and I hope both Clemons and Howard get more chances going forward. Howard did another really nice spin move, everytime I see him on the field lately he is beating blockers. Bunkley, Patterson are looking in top form against the run, and we continue to hope they show up in the pass rush more. I am real happy with our DT's though, we stuff the run when we need to and a few years ago that wasn't the case.

OFFENSE/COACHING

In the first half our offense was a thing to behold. We designed plays for our great trio of McCoy/Weaver/Westy and then took strikes downfield to our pass-catchers. I wish we would have stuck with the formula. This Runningback trio should be fed in both the running and passing game and the other playmakers should become the very dangerous punishment if you focus on them too much. Dropping back and passing to the WR's 3 times in a row should not happen. Throw a screen or pitch or shovel pass or draw or swing pass or Run it to McCoy/Weave/West on at least one of them. Maybe if Vick was healthy the Wild-cat would have gotten things going. But the Wild-cat with Westy and then desean were bad plays.

Maclin made a very difficult and clutch grab. I remember Reggie Brown's rookie season, when he dropped a much easier pass against the Cowboys in the clutch and cost us. And lets not forget Kevin Curtis last year (I like KC but his hands are small and he drops a few). The point is that if Maclin can be DMac's man in the clutch, then he has Maclin/avant/djax/celek to make clutch grabs instead of Brown/Curtis/Pinkston/Thrash/Mitchell/LJ Smith.

Peters bounced back after a rough start. The O-line didn't play great but the Broncos defense is pretty good. McNabb made some nice off-balance throws with pressure all around him, but he also took some sacks trying to make plays. Good to see McNabb rip off a big run, hopefully he makes a few of those in the playoffs. I think our O-line will hold up well enough without Jamaal to allow our offense to be effective.

Best playoff match-up possible: Vikings - we'd destroy Favre and shut down peterson enough. We'd kill their safeties with our speed

Worst Playoff Matchup possible: Cardinals - See last year's playoffs, and now they have Beanie Wells.

Others: Boys - playing any team two weeks in a row is tough

Packers - Their defense continues to improve and they were my super-bowl pick in the NFC before the season, mostly because I thought Rogers was elite. He is.

Saints - should we make it to a showdown with the supposed best team in the NFC for much of the year, I like our chances. Their defense got beat enough by Kolb, and they've regressed from where they were then. Our defense stunk the first meeting and I would look for McDermott to bring alot more heat this time around. Reggie Bush won't play for fear of Sheldon Brown making him look like a ragdoll again.

Many people called this one of the best lines "on paper*" - The asterisk being that it was going to be an adjustment with two new offensive tackles. Two of the best "on paper" guys were the Andrews', neither of which has been what we hoped coming into the season. 

However over the course of the recent winning streak, I believe that the current rendition of the line has been very good. Herremans has improved weekly since his injury, and Peters is a monster run blocker and is great in the screen game( He doesn't get called for holding much either.) Together they give us a very solid left side. This will be so important in the Playoffs. By the way Herremans did very well filling in at left tackle as well.

The best part of the line in my opinion is the depth. Behind the current starters are Andrews and Jean-gilles, two guys who have played this season and have starting experience. This means that in the playoffs if there is an injury we don't have a huge issue. Remember Nick Cole's false start in the New Orleans playoff game? He had very little experience at the time. (who was he replacing again?)

Justice has been the most necessary  of surprises and is doing a nice job. I personally still hold out hope that Shawn Andrews' second back surgery fixes him up and he comes back strong. I hope he takes over either RG or RT because I was a big fan of his while he was healthy and considered him elite. Justice isn't elite, but he's turned out to be a nice draft decision, just like trading up for Andrews was (for a while).

What are your opinions on the line, particularly as of late?

As I was watching the aweful loss to the raiders unfold I became increasingly frustrated with a problem that I naively hoped went away after the Cincinatti tie game. I thought that game tought Andy a lesson that in no close game under any circumstance should you completely abandon the run when your passing game is out of rhythm. Well we ran the ball all of 11 times and westy looked very good when given some opportunities.

Andy has not learned the lesson and he called another head-scratchingly aweful game. With the injury ravished offensive line playing its absolute worst, our coach made them drop back time after time without ever showing much of a threat to run. 

The game was lost in many ways, but the most frustrating for me was this fundamental problem that Andy refuses to fix. RUN THE DAMN BALL! 

Just watched "sounds of the game" on NFL network and here is what I saw: Steve was sitting at the bench when Delhomme approached to apologize for an underthrown ball that was intercepted by Asante. Steve replied something like "the performer...the performer, the quarterback... I never like you as a quarterback, but I always liked you as a person."

So he never liked delhomme as a quartback? How does Delhomme have confidence throwing to Smith from now on, knowing Smith doesn't like him as a quarterback?